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"Requested?" Drake drawled out with a twist of his lips. "More like demanded. You don't say no to him."
"Okay, but what does that have to do with me?" I placed a hand on my chest and waited for the other shoe to drop. They wouldn't be suspiciously avoiding the subject if it wasn't something bad. I just hoped it wasn't the ‘losing my job; kind of bad... or worse the ‘Valentine was coming for another visit’ kind of bad.
"Valentine won't be a problem," Rayne told me, and my eyes snapped to him. I started to tell him to stay out of my head again, but he held his hands up. "I know. I know. I’m sorry, but there's a lot to cover and not a whole lot of time." He pointed his thumb at the others. "And these assholes are taking too long."
"So, you tell me." I crossed my arms over my chest and cocked my hip to the side. "What's wrong with being summoned that has to do with me?'
"You're coming too,” Rayne says matter-of-factly.
Now that wasn't something, I thought I was going to hear. Why in the world would I come with them to meet their sire? Didn't normal maids stay behind on trips like this? Well, this wasn't a normal household, to begin with, so maybe they didn't.
"Okay? So, I have to dress up like a Lolita again? Is that the bad news?" I couldn't believe how hopeful I sounded to have to put on that tight, degrading outfit again. How far I had fallen.
"Oh, you'll have to wear something but probably not that." Drake sniffed as he tried to repress a smile.
Wynn shot Drake a look before holding his hands open in front of him. "Our sire has specifically requested your presence, no doubt because Valentine has shown interest in you. He’s probably gone back and told our sire that an unbound human is living with us."
"Okay, so now I have to meet the parents?" I asked, hoping that it was going to be a hi-bye kind of situation, and I would leave with my life and hopefully blood intact.
"Not exactly." Wynn shook his head. "If you are not bound to one of us, then our sire could decide that we have to give you to Valentine. Though Rayne told Valentine he had claimed you as his, you're still in a position to be taken."
"I don't understand." I scratched the side of my face. "You mean that being claimed is lower on your crazy totem pole than being bound? So, even though Rayne 'claimed me' that Valentine can still steal me away from you? What if I don't want to go with him?"
The vampires stared at me for a long moment before Wynn spoke up. He seemed to be the go-to spokesperson for the group when Antoine wasn't around. That was fine by me because Antoine was an ass and didn't make anything sound nicer than it was.
Wynn was also prettier.
Rayne smirked at that, so I gave him the stink eye to let him know I know he had been peaking in my head. I envisioned licking the toilet bowl again. When he flinched, I felt a smug bit of satisfaction and paid more attention to Wynn's words.
"You have a choice to make, Piper," Wynn told me with an apologetic air. "You can continue to work here for us, or you can find a new job. Of course, we will give you a good reference and even help you find one. If we can use our powers for one thing, it would be for this."
"Yeah!" Drake shoved a fist in the air. "We can totally find you a new place... though I'd hate to see you leave." His lower lip stuck out a bit as he blinked those long lashes at me.
I giggled and shook my head. "Why would I leave? I mean, being bound can't be that bad right? Darren seems to enjoy it." I paused for a second and thought about it. "Actually, I don't know if he enjoys it or not. He's kind of hard to read. Darren seems more like the type that would enjoy deep cleaning."
The men nodded in agreement before Wynn added, "Sadly, I have to say that is an astute assessment. That attitude is probably one of the reasons Antoine was so drawn to him in the first place. They both have a no-nonsense mentality, and they get along remarkably. However," he drew out and glanced at his brothers, "... being bound isn't just about keeping other vampires away from you. It's being with us. Forever."
"F-forever?" My brows shot up to my hairline, and my mouth dropped open.
"Yes." Allister nodded. "When you're bound, you'll be connected to the other person's life force. You won't die until they have. Meaning you could quite literally—"
"Live forever." I finished for him with a gulp. I now remembered Darren telling me something along those lines. Living forever? That wasn't something I'd ever thought about before. Certainly, nothing I ever wanted. My life up until this point had been pretty boring, a very take it or leave it existence that I only saw going downhill.
Until now. Moving into the mansion and working with these men, these vampires, had been the most excitement I'd had in my entire human life. Neither my family nor my friends, those little I had, made me want to get up in the morning and be a better person, a better version of me.
But here? I had a schedule. A purpose. A reason to get up and do my job to the best of its ability. Sure, my bosses were vampires and fed on humans, but that didn't mean they were bad guys. Besides, they weren't bad to look at either.
Rayne coughed, and my eyes shot to him.
Fuck. I'd done it again. Rayne had heard every single thing that had just gone through my mind. I hated it. I made every inch of me clench up, and the walls constrict around me. I needed privacy. I needed a break.
"I need to get out of here."
I shook my head and turned on my heel, barging up the back stairs before they could react. I kept going until I was safe behind my bedroom doors and even then, I knew I wasn't truly alone. They could hear me down there, moving around, maybe even breathing, but at least now, my thoughts were my own.
